Welsh men's amateur stroke-play championship at Harlech

Greg Paterson blows it - closing 76 drops

him from big lead to final third place

Greg Paterson looked like making every post a winning one on his way to the biggest victory of his career ... and then it all went pear-shaped for the St Andrews New Golf Club member over the last round at Royal St David's Golf Club, Harlech.
Paterson had spreadeagled the field with an opening six-under-par 63, which he followed with a couple of 66s to lead by five shots going into the final round.
But Greg started to "bleed" shots at a rate that could only spell disaster. He bogeyed the third, fifth and sixth before stopping the rot temporarily with an eagle 3 at the long seventh. But he ran up a double bogey 5 at the short ninth to toss the lifebelt overboard again.
Out in 39, Paterson bogeyed the 10th, at which point Englishman Eddie Pepperell drew level with him. When Pepperell birtdied the 12th and the Scot bogeyed the same hole, that was the three-shot swing that put the nails in Paterson's coffin as the potential winner.
Pepperell went on to finish with a 66 for nine-under-par 267. He won by one stroke from compatriot Tom Lewis, the British boys champion, who shot a 65 last time round for 268.
Sadly, Paterson collapsed to a final-round 76 (seven over par), bogeying the 13th, 14th and 16th before notching a birdie at the 17th, for a five-under-total of 271 which earned him clear third place.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 276 (4x69). CSS 72 73 72 72
267 Eddie Pepperell (Drayton Park) 66 64 71 66.
268 Tom Lewis (Welwyn Garden City) 66 70 67 65.
271 Greg Paterson (St Andrews New) 63 66 66 76.
273 Mark Young (Longridge) 67 64 70 72.
275 David Coupland (Boston) 65 69 72 69.
276 Andreas Hartoe (Furesoe) 68 71 68 69.
277 Adam Keogh (Boston West) 71 70 67 69, Alex Christie (Tyrrells Wood) 67 72 67 71, Laurie Canter (Saltford) 66 65 73 73.
278 Steven Brown (Wentworth) 66 73 71 68, Liam Burns (Sundridge Park) 69 69 71 69, Oliver Farr (Ludlow) 68 70 71 69.
279 Jake Shepherd (Wisley) 69 69 70 71, Jack Senior (Heysham) 69 67 70 73.
280 James Fox (Portmarnock) 69 72 69 70, Tyrrell Hatton (Harleford) 70 66 74 70, Kasper Sorensen (Toftlund) 67 74 68 71.
281 James Maw (Hallowes) 69 69 74 69.
282 Ben Loughrey (Wrag Barn) 68 73 70 71, Neil Raymond (Corhampton) 69 71 70 72, Liam O'Neill (Keighley) 66 72 70 74.
284 Matthew Southgate (Thorpe Hall) 67 72 73 72, Henry Tomlinson (Royal Lytham & St Annes 69 69 71 75.
285 Sam Binning (Ranfurly Castle) 65 73 74 73, Rasmus Lykke-Kjldsen (Breinhottgard) 66 69 76 74, Luke Thomas (Vale of Glamorgan) 67 72 70 76.
286 Michael Bedford (Prestbury) 70 71 70 75.
286 Matt Floyd (Cumberwell Park) 73 60 78 75.
287 Paul Betty (Hayston) 71 67 72 77.
290 Alastair Jones (Radyr) 69 71 75 75, James Wilson (Formby) 72 69 73 76, Ciaran Boggan (Co Meath) 73 67 74 76.
291 Adam Dunton (McDonald Ellon) 68 73 78 72, Rhodri Fieldhouse (Wrexham) 73 68 76 74, Jordan Findlay (Fraserburgh) 70 69 74 78, Tom Boys (Royal Liverpool) 69 68 74 80.
293 Kyle McClung (Wigtownshire Co) 72 69 77 75.
Retired: Sam Dodds (Coventry) 68 73 ret.